The current study examines the association between the mother-caregiver relationship and the psychological well-being of 533 mothers who transitioned their children to a non-familial licensed childcare center. Maternal well-being, mother-caregiver relationship quality, and maternal parenting stress were assessed. Hierarchical linear regressions…

Children from birth to 3 years old with complex medical needs often experience psychological issues, but there are limited services and supports to meet their needs. To bridge this gap, the authors created the Pediatric Birth to Three Clinic and Early Childhood Mental Health Program at the University of Minnesota. They describe the toxic stress…

Objectives: Technology-based outreach offers promise for providing support to a broad population of postpartum mothers while keeping costs low. However, research on the efficacy of this approach is scarce. We conducted a pre-registered randomized pilot trial of the effects of a novel technology based approach for supporting postpartum mothers --…

Infant attachment theory is now nearly seventy-years old. Despite debates that developed around the original theory relating to the role of the mother and the potential for emotional flexibility in the infant, its core thesis of the role of the 'Internal Working Model' in human mental health endures. Recent neurophysiological research reveals…

Partnering With Parents, an infant mental health (IMH) intervention program at Starfish Family Services (SFS), is dedicated to improving social-emotional outcomes, supporting wellness, and strengthening relationships between infants and families. Families served by SFS experience a myriad of societal, community, and relational stressors that can…

The study evaluated the relationship between maternal anxiety, depression and parenting stress, and maternal mind-mindedness, styles of interaction, and mother-infant emotion regulation. At infant age 3 months, EPDS, STAI, and PSI-SF were administered to 73 mothers to respectively assess depression, anxiety, and parenting stress; mother-infant…

Based on case studies in three states (CO, RI, and TX), this brief examines promising strategies to address the developmental and mental health needs of infants and toddlers involved in Child Welfare (CW). Due to family adversities, trauma, maltreatment, and separation from primary caregivers, these infants and toddlers are at substantial risk of…

The impact of COVID-19 stressors on young children and families may differ based on pre-pandemic factors, including family race/ethnicity, financial stability, and pre-existing child developmental or social-emotional difficulties. The authors draw from their work with families with toddlers and preschool-aged children to explore experiences of the…

Infants are born primed to develop attachment relationships. However, when infants are hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit at birth, the stress and trauma associated with the highly specialized medical environment can threaten the development of a nurturing and secure caregiving relationship. Infant mental health is an evidence-based…

This article describes the conceptual approach to, and practical aspects of, the Infant-Parent Program's (IPP) decade-long experience providing early childhood mental health consultation in homeless shelters serving infants, young children, and their families. Illustrated by case examples, the authors discuss the characteristics of the…

Untreated perinatal mood and anxiety disorders have short- and long-term consequences for mental, physical, developmental, social, and economic outcomes affecting the mother, infant, family, and community. Online Health interventions are known to be effective in treating mental health disorders and increasing access to care. Successful perinatal…

Infants who begin their lives in intensive care are impacted physically and socioemotionally for many months and years to come. Likewise, stressful experiences of caring for a baby hospitalized in intensive care have an impact on primary caregivers, typically the baby's parents. Infant mental health (IMH) is an expanding, evidence-based field that…

Most of the time, infants start life with all of the bioneurological- sensory resources and social/emotional readiness to begin their journey toward learning how to relate to their closest family members and, eventually, people in their wider world. Attachment, bonding, security, and an emotional home with significant, consistent caregivers are…

Poverty-associated chronic stress is a serious threat not only to a mother's mental health but also to maternal functioning. Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that a mother's brain undergoes dynamic changes to support her transition to parenthood, including better emotion regulation and heightened sensitivity to infants. However, we propose that…

This article describes a model for supporting parents and their infants during separations due to temporary foster care. Using a case example, the authors describe a model for visit coaching, including their process for assessment and strategies used for intervention. The lessons learned are: (a) that individual parents can present very…